The Falconhttp://woodlandsfalcon.com
The Voice of Every Woodlands StudentWed, 25 May 2016 17:50:28 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7Daddy’s Homehttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/25/daddys-home/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/25/daddys-home/#respondWed, 25 May 2016 17:50:28 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2350I recently went with my family and friends to see the movie “Daddy’s Home.” “Daddy’s Home” was released nationwide on December 25th, 2015. The cast consists of Will Ferrell as “Brad,” Mark Wahlberg as “Dusty Mayron,” Linda Cardellini as “Sara,” Hannibal Buress as “Griff,” and Thomas Haden Church as “Leo Holt.” The movie is directed by Sean Anders and has a MPAA rating of PG-13.

I was filled with anticipation to see Will Ferrell who happens to be one of my favorite comedic actors and equally curious to see if Mark Wahlberg could deliver the laughter, perhaps shedding his ‘tough guy’ image as Robert Dinero and “The Rock” have done in a few of their on screen adventures.

It is the age old story about the assimilation of a step-parent into a new family. In this case, a Step-dad played by Will Ferrell, but he has the looming image and physical presence of the biological Dad played by Mark Wahlberg. That combination alone sets the premise for the movie. Will Ferrell’s character is a Dad that tries very hard to win the affections of his step-children and does parenting by the book, only to be upstaged by the cool biological dad “Dusty” played by Mark Wahlberg.

In presenting the story line, director Sean Anders adds a very modern twist on the cool dad as “Dusty” re -enters his children’s lives on a super cool motorcycle. He has a very well sculpted body, which is a direct contrast to “Brad” who is very conservative, sensitive, and has a “color within the lines” personality.

The setting is suburbia USA. The movie starts out slowly with predictable behavior from the children not being too welcoming to their new step-dad. However, within 30 minutes of the movie, the pace picks up as “Brad” attempts to shed his conservative image and competes with “Dusty.” This was accomplished through the scene in which Brad attempts to put his mark in the sand by taking charge of “Dusty’s” powerful motorcycle, which Brad accidentally drives into the house and thus setting off a chain reaction of “one offs” between the men. This gave Will a platform to showcase his infamous silly humor. Mark Walberg’s role wasn’t much of a stretch for him as he played the “cool” dad. However, he delivered on the more tender moments in the movie as he interacted with his children.

During the movie, it is very hard to not root for the underdog “Brad,” as he wears his heart on his sleeve and made the ultimate sacrifice of temporarily giving up his family for the sake of their happiness. However, he eventually wins the hearts of his step-children and along the way demonstrates to the audience that sometimes “dancing your way” through fights is much better than engaging in an actual fist fight.

In my opinion, the movie was adequately entertaining. There were funny moments, but none were sidesplitting. If you are looking for a “feel good” movie with a few chuckles, then this is the movie for you.

On the Falcons rating scale, I would rate this movie a 4 ‘Falcons’ out of 5.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/25/daddys-home/feed/0Captain America: Civil Warhttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/25/captain-america-civil-war/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/25/captain-america-civil-war/#respondWed, 25 May 2016 17:49:39 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2348Captain America: Civil War Summer’s new biggest blockbuster. The story follows in the wake of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) as citizens call for legal actions against the Avengers for the collateral damage done on previous missions. (death of citizens destruction of buildings) This causes a split in opinions for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Now before we get into the review I’m going to leave a spoiler warning being that I don’t think there is a way to accurately review this movie without discussing its contents. *WARNING SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR BELOW*

The movie kicks off with an action sequence that sets up the entire plot for the movie with a building exploding by the hands of the Avengers. This leads to the Sokovia Accords which signs the team to the government. Tensions spark as Tony Stark (Iron Man) agrees to sign the bill however Steve Rogers (Captain America) believes that if they sign this they may need to go to extremes that the government will not allow. This causes political warfare between the Avengers. Things become more complicated when Steve’s Childhood best friend, Bucky, formally known as the Winter Soldier, a trained assassin, is arrested by Rogers. There were direct orders to let the government handle the situation making Rogers and Falcon (Portrayed by Anthony Mackie) fugitives. Now that the general plot synopsis is out of the way let’s dive into the review.

This is the probably the best movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not only a Superhero movie it’s a great political thriller appealing to everybody no matter what genre you’re interested in. The chemistry between the characters is phonomenal based on their previous movies which just makes the movie all around fantastic; all is needed is a little character development. The action sequences in this film are gritty and dark but still bring great fun to moviegoers. The highlight of the film was Spiderman. As soon as I saw “queens” pop up on the screen in bold letters indicating New York City I knew exactly where it was going and I was, I’m pretty sure, the happiest person in that movie. Tom Holland’s spiderman was in the movie for a total of 30 minutes and each scene was phonomenal. There are few references to Spider-Man’s origin showing that you don’t need to start from the beginning each time. The same went for Black Panther. Many don’t know his origin but they were able to convey it in less than 5 minutes of dialogue.

Captain America: Civil War was exhilarating, funny, and all around entertaining and I highly recommend seeing it as soon as possible. A definite 10/10.

There are many stories, movies and quotes about becoming eighteen. I am exactly 26 days away from my eighteenth birthday. I approach it equally with excitement and trepidation. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, the leading authority on the law, there is an extensive list of rights and responsibilities that eighteen year olds can do in the United States, they are listed below:

Rights

The 26th amendment to the Constitution, enacted on July 1, 1971, established the legal voting age for Americans as 18, www.truethevote.org/resources/faq/…/legal-age-for-voting. You can vote in all national and local elections once you are registered to vote.

You can work full time. If you work for a company that has heavy equipment or provides transportation services that requires special driving permits; you can now train for and acquire a special driving license.

You can purchase and use tobacco products in 46 of the 50 states and in the District of Columbia. Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah require someone to be 19 years of age to purchase tobacco, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_Age.

The federal government has established 18 as the age of consent to legally engage in sexual activities with another person aged 18 or older. The age of consent may be younger or older according to you state’s law, http://www.age-of-consent.info/.

You can establish a checking and savings account and apply for loans. Having a job may be a requirement for loan approvals.

You can get credit cards and establish your credit worthiness by paying your bills on time.

You can get married without parental approval in 48 of the 50 states. Mississippi requires you to be 21 and Nebraska requires you to be 19 before you can get married without parental consent.

Responsibilities:

If you are a male, you are required to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of turning 18. According to the law, www.sss.gov/default.htm, you can be prosecuted if you do not register. If convicted, you can fined up to $250,000 and/or spend up to 5 years in jail.

As a legal adult, you are now responsible for your actions. If you violate any law, you will be charged as an adult.

You can be selected for jury duty.

You are legally obligated to pay all debts you incur.

That list gave me food for thought as I sought out “veteran” 18 year olds in my circle of friends and family. According to my friend, Charlotte, who turned 18 last month, said it was tiring. Her parents expected her to sign on all documents that they would otherwise sign on her behalf. She no longer needed working papers on her current job. My cousin Leah shared that, internally, she felt much more mature and responsible, ” like the world was no resting on her shoulders”. Very soon, I will be viewed as a “veteran” amongst my friends too, as I will be the second one to turn eighteen.

Author and Journalist, Jim Bishop, puts it best “At 18, everything is possible and tomorrow looks friendly.” For now, that will be my perspective. Happy “almost” Birthday to me .

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/25/whats-the-big-deal-about-becoming-18/feed/0Veridiahttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/11/veridia/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/11/veridia/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:57:27 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2343When you think of music you think of names like Ariana Grande, Beyonce, & Nicki Minaj. When you think of Rock music you think of Linkin Park or the Beatles. Christian Rock is a genre that flies over people’s heads due to controversial and complex themes. There is one group, however, that you may not have heard of that fall under the rock and Christian rock genres, and there name is Veridia.

Veridia, a name that stems from the latin word veritas meaning truth, is a Christian rock group that has been active since 2013. Their members include vocalist Deena Jakoub, guitarist Brandon Brown, Kyle Levy on drums, and another guitarist named Trevor Hinesley. They came together when Deena and Brandon traveled after their previous band, Don’t Wake Aislin, ended. They recruited Kyle and Trevor in order to create a new band with a fresh new sound, and a fresh start. They wrote about 50 songs to try and develop a unique sound in order to establish an identity as a group of artists. Their songs were created by Deena, who says she used bands like Panic! At the Disco and Twenty One Pilots as inspiration.

They decided on five songs for their first album Inseparable EP which was released on July 21, 2014. They had three different producers, Ian Eskelin, Matt Bronleewe, Stephen Keech, who helped produce their songs. Their most popular song called We Are the Brave was nominated for rock song of the year in 2014 at the Dove Awards. It revolves around not giving into fear and striving for greatness. It inspired many teenagers claiming that the song had inspired them to keep fighting even though they are going through hard times. The song was also widely heard during broadcasts of NCAA softball games and the College World Series.They went on their first tour as the opening act for Red and Demon Hunter in 2014, and they were the opening act at the Winter Jam in 2014.

They are a band that tries to spread truthful and helpful messages to help guide adolescents on a right path. “It’s our creed, to strive for raw honesty in all that we do, being true to ourselves, the ones we love and in our music,” Deena Jakoub states. They speak the truth as she states in all of their songs, and they promote that being you is the right thing to do. So why don’t too many people know of Veridia? Well, they’re just starting out. They have two albums out now, and they started playing in 2014. It won’t be long until they make it to the top. So check out Veridia and indulge in their honest music. After listening to their music you’ll see through those ‘Pretty Lies’, and the ‘Mystery of the Invisible’.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/2016/05/11/veridia/feed/0Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/beyonces-lemonade/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/beyonces-lemonade/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:54:35 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2341As many people know, Beyoncé recently broadcast a visual album on HBO to accompany the release of her new album, Lemonade. The visual album was great, a select few of the scenes involving Beyoncé smashing cars with a baseball bat, a chilling scene of her singing a light, and a cameo made by Serena Williams. The music itself easily accompanied the different scenes, their order following the tracklist of her album. As for her recently released single, Formation, it was saved for the end credits. I personally think that happened because it already has a music video out, which many people find to be controversial in one way or another.

A major benefactor to the success of her album (Scoring No. 1 on the BillBoard 200 Chart), has got to be the publicity storm stirred up from the raised suspicions of many fans and furthered by media outlets in reference to a lyric from one of her songs. Not only did the album continuously mention the idea of a cheating husband, but Beyoncé’s use of the lyrics, “He only want me when I’m not there / He better call Becky with the good hair.” Has gotten many people asking a very trying question: Who’s Becky? Many skeptical fans attacked women such as Rachel Roy (they also mistakenly attacked Rachel Ray, probably because of the fairly similar names), Rita Ora, Claudia Scheelen, and Rihanna, all because of their past associations with Jay-Z. They also went after LIV, Taylor Swift, Tori Kelly, and Casey Cohen.

Personally, I think that ‘Becky with the good hair’ is simply a publicity stunt that Beyoncé used to ensure her album was cleared from the shelves. And obviously, it worked.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/beyonces-lemonade/feed/0A Profile on the Frontrunnershttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/school-news/2016/05/11/a-profile-on-the-frontrunners/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/school-news/2016/05/11/a-profile-on-the-frontrunners/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:53:18 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2339As most of you know, it’s the fourth year since the last fourth year. 2016. That means a couple things. Most importantly, it means that Barack Obama’s second term as president is coming to an end. That’s right. For those of you living under a rock who don’t know, 2016 is the year that we elect a new president.

The competition this year is tough. Not only for the nominees, but also for the voters. This year isn’t like most years, and the voters are having quite the time trying to figure out who’s going to be the next person with their hand on the big red button. But it isn’t because everybody’s such a good candidate per say, it’s really just because everybody’s such a bad candidate. Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. This presidential race isn’t a competition of who’s the best candidate, it’s more of a competition to decide the lesser evil. There is no good candidate. It is true that nobody’s perfect, everyone’s got flaws, but these candidates prove to be special cases. There’s just no good person to vote for. Each candidate is a terrible choice in their own way.

Starting with the elephant in the room is probably the best idea, so let’s do that. Donald Trump. The big blond elephant who believes that all the animals should leave his watering hole. He also wants to build a really big wall around his watering hole. This billionaire elephant entered the race in June 2015 and has continued to run since then, becoming a very popular candidate, to the dismay of many millions of people. Trump is pro-life, he fully supports the second amendment, he thinks it’s unfair that people make “tremendous amounts of money and pay virtually no taxes” and also wants people to come into our country, but it should be legally. With all that on the table, it shouldn’t be completely impossible to see why so many people support him. But along with all these reasons to support him, there are just as many, if not more, reasons to oppose him. After all, it’s no secret that the Republican party itself despises Trump, essentially begging candidates like Ben Carson and Marco Rubio to drop out in order to swing votes to Ted Cruz. Trump has, in layman’s terms, very radical ideas on how to fix the US’ problems. He claims over and over that he wants to make America great again, but he also says that he would do it by forcefully removing thousands, if not millions, of illegal immigrants from the US. Even if they are illegal there is no denying the fact that a lot of these immigrants have made lives here that cannot just simply be uprooted. Not to mention his countless ignorant, sexist, and racist comments. But it does beg the question, if Donald Trump wasn’t the billionaire businessman he portrayed himself to be in the past, how well would he fare in the election with the same ideals and goals?

The Democratic frontrunner who has certainly turned some heads all throughout her campaign. Hillary Clinton has run for president before, like in 2008 against Barack Obama, but never has she made it this far with this big of an impact on the presidential race. She’s raised over $185 million dollars for her campaign and is ahead of Bernie Sanders by several percent. She is slated to be the democratic nominee to run against Donald Trump. Even with such stiff competition Clinton is confident that she can beat him out to become the first woman president. She believes that America needs a “comprehensive immigration reform with a path to full and equal citizenship.” When it comes to abortion she is a firm believer that politicians have no business interfering a woman’s personal health decisions. In order to keep guns away from terrorists, domestic abusers and violent killers, Clinton wants to create a comprehensive background check that closes loopholes and prevents guns from falling into the wrong hands. Her approval rates have been slowly been declining in the past one or two years. But she’s still winning over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party. But the question that remains is, even if she wins over Sanders, will she be able to trump Trump in the polls that really matter?

Well now you know the major ideals of the Democratic and Republican party, and it’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to vote for them. If you ask me, neither one is a good choice. Like I said, this election is more of choosing between the lesser of two evils rather than who is best suited for the job as president. Really we’re just choosing who will do the least damage to our economy. But hey, what do I know? I’m just your friendly neighborhood Woodlands newspaper article writer. You don’t have to listen to a word I say.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/school-news/2016/05/11/a-profile-on-the-frontrunners/feed/0Taking a Look at Endometriosishttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/taking-a-look-at-endometriosis/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/taking-a-look-at-endometriosis/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:52:01 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2337On Friday April 8, Woodlands High School was visited by a very special guest, an endocrinologist from the Endofound foundation named Heather visited our school to educate us on the disease Endometriosis. Her presentation included videos, a realistic scenario about a girl with the disorder, and pictures of where the disease begins, and what part of the body is mostly affected. Science classes such as Mr. Washington’s Biology and Living Environment classes viewed the presentation. The presentation was also open for students in the WISE room 8th period. This presentation was informative and a shock to most, as many of us students were never exposed to a disorder like this.

Endometriosis is a disorder in women in which the tissue that lines up with the uterus grows outside of it. This disease is what some would call “a family disease” as Dr.Heather phrased it; this is due to this disease, like most, affecting the entire family either mentally or physically. Many males said during this presentation that “this doesn’t affect me”. This disease could affect an entire family as it may cause stress to a man if his mother, daughter, or sister have the disease.

One out of ten girls and women get this disease, but “the number of cases is on the rise”, Dr. Heather stated. She also stated that it is an estimated percentage as many women keep it to themselves and don’t tell anyone about the pain they are facing. This brings us to her scenario that revolves around a young high schooler by the name of Lauren. Lauren was facing many signs of endometriosis, like cramps that deterred any movement, and even cramps after her period ended. Her periods were longer than they were normally supposed to be as well. She didn’t tell anybody about how she was feeling because she was embarrassed. Her condition had gotten worse after missing many days of school. In the end, she was educated on the subject of endometriosis and learned that she was not the only one with it. Dr. Heather stated that this happens a lot to women, and it only assists in worsening the disease.

As mentioned before there are a few symptoms of endometriosis that revolve around a woman’s menstrual cycle. In the beginning, a woman may have cramps that deter movement and become untreatable. Women will also have longer periods, with stronger effects compared to a normal period. This disease may lead to infertility or miscarriages.

In the end, Dr. Heather gave students a pamphlet that summarized what she taught us, and our job was to inform women that we were close to about the disease. She ended her presentation by informing us that women should always go to a gynecologist if they face any problem like this. Dr. Heather had a great presentation and format, as she included her audience with enthusiasm. She was open to all questions, and even criticism. So we Woodlands High School students, boys and girls alike, would like to thank Dr. Heather and her organization for teaching us about a disorder that most of us were unaware of. As the disease affects a lot of people, we can now be advocates for the prevention of the disease.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/taking-a-look-at-endometriosis/feed/0Look out for: JAEGERhttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/entertainment-2/reviews/music-reviews/2016/05/11/look-out-for-jaeger/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/entertainment-2/reviews/music-reviews/2016/05/11/look-out-for-jaeger/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:41:47 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2335f there’s one thing that gets people moving, it’s some hard hitting bass drops and rhythms you feel in your gut. If there’s any new artist who bring the bass, it’s JAEGER. He hasn’t released any albums per say, but he has recently released his first official song entitled “Until Dawn.” With its slow build up to a gut-wrenching drop that hits harder than a punch from Mike Tyson, it’s definitely a strong start. Even though “Until Dawn” is his first official release, this trap artist has definitely created a strong buzz for himself. With unofficial songs like “Noise” and remixes of already popular songs posted on YouTube, he isn’t unheard of. If this isn’t enough, he’s only fourteen years old. Fourteen. He’s in like, middle school. And yet, he somehow manages to put out these amazing songs that deliver powerful and gritty drops and hooks that electrify the listener. He posts his songs on music sites like SoundCloud and ToneDen Check him out!.
]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/entertainment/entertainment-2/reviews/music-reviews/2016/05/11/look-out-for-jaeger/feed/0On Plagiarismhttp://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/on-plagiarism/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/on-plagiarism/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 16:36:39 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2333Plagiarism is a subject most students avoid when writing an essay, or doing a project. According to Austin Peay State University’s 26th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience Teaching Students How to Avoid Plagiarism: Success, 63% of business majors plagiarize, followed by 51% of science majors, and even 59% of journalism and communication majors plagiarized as well. The practice of plagiarizing at an early age will make you dependent on others’ work, which won’t mix with the real world.

Why do people plagiarize exactly? Some say that not wanting to do your work (laziness) and poor time management skills are just a few reasons of why people plagiarize. William Swanson, a chairman of the Raytheon Company, released a short story called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. His company later revealed that Swanson had claimed authorship of the story, although he took the format and the words of a classic story called The Unwritten Laws of Engineering. The law concluded that he plagiarized and made him withdraw distribution of his story. His compensation was reduced by 1 million dollars. Is plagiarizing really worth the loss of so much money, and the respect of your peers?

Nada Behziz, a reporter at the Bakersfield Californian, is a prime example of what plagiarism could lead to. She had written an article based that was focused on health issues, specifically the effects of smoking. She was fired from the newspaper as her editors had discovered that the article had a quotation from a teenage smoker, which in fact was taken from a 1995 story in the San Francisco Examiner. Investigators later discovered that more than ⅓ of her work was based off of another’s.

Plagiarism gets you in trouble with the law and with your career. Behziz was forbidden from writing in newspapers in her state. William Swanson lost so much money from his job he had trouble paying for his home. Is plagiarism really worth the loss of money? Is it worth the end of your career? How about being looked down upon by your peers? That one assignment that you plagiarize can lead to a life of misery, so stop now. Do your own work, because there is no law against that.

]]>http://woodlandsfalcon.com/student-life/2016/05/11/on-plagiarism/feed/0Should we switch to Macs?http://woodlandsfalcon.com/editorial/2016/04/20/should-we-switch-to-macs/
http://woodlandsfalcon.com/editorial/2016/04/20/should-we-switch-to-macs/#respondThu, 21 Apr 2016 00:55:10 +0000http://woodlandsfalcon.com/?p=2331Around the school, the default computer operating system is Windows 7, but many people who attend the school are die-hard Mac users. In my opinion, however, Windows is the better operating system and is quite sufficient for getting the job done. Sure, Apple can be faster, but after a period of time it begins to slow down. Windows is also more efficient in terms of gaming, while Mac tends to lack in that area.

Even though Mac has a nice display and a modern design, looks don’t always cut it. Windows is beginning to look visually appealing as well, but still maintains the aspects of its nice processors and ample storage throughout the years. I decided to ask six people of their opinions about which operating system is better, and if our school should do the complete switch and change everything to Mac.

The question stands: “Should we switch to mac computers?” The overall reply was yes, usually because Mac just has a cleaner interface and provides simple navigation capabilities, “it’s more innovative and clean looking.” In contrast some students felt that, “the Windows operating system is more liberal,” and, “exponentially greater.” I received a similar reply from other students as well: “Personally, I’m a Mac fan. I think that they are easier to use than Dell, and less stupid than Dell. I have an easier time navigating a Mac over navigating a windows operating system.” “Yes. I think Macs look and respond better.” “Sure. because they’re better. They have a very complex, interesting structure. They have a nicer appearance.” “I guess so, yeah. I like the way the system functions/operates.” “To be honest, I like both Mac and Windows. In my home, we use both operating systems, but I like the clean look of Mac. But lately, Windows has been improving its appearance and I’m beginning to appreciate its appearance as well as the way it operates more and more.”

So as you can see, a lot of students in the school seems to lean more towards Mac, and less towards the Windows operating system, for the simplicity and smooth appearance that arrives with the well-known Mac computer. Personally, though, I think I will forever be loyal towards Windows computers.